Ministers seek to reward alliances as EU degree talks go on

While European Union (EU) education ministers agree on the need for more preparatory work around the specifics of a European Degree, they have in the meantime endorsed recommendations to ensure better recognition of transnational cooperative efforts represented by initiatives such as the European University alliances.

European Union education ministers and university experts argued this week that the creation of a European degree could boost cooperation between higher education institutions, but more work is needed to make it successful.

Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, the European Commission’s director general for education, told EU education ministers at a 25 November meeting of the EU Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council the new degree “has the potential to tackle the skills gap” in Europe.

However, she acknowledged: “it cannot be achieved based on a one-size-fits-all approach”, and the best outcome would be obtained through “continued co-creation”.

Policy lab

With that in mind, a European degree policy lab will be set up bringing together experts from education ministries, higher education institutions and student representatives.

“We will ask for your nominations early next year,” Hansen continued, adding that progress would be evaluated at a planned October 2025 European Degree Forum, where the higher education sector could contribute to discussions.

The qualification was described by the EU Commission – the EU executive – as “a new type of degree, awarded after transnational bachelor, masters or doctoral programmes delivered at national, regional or institutional level” when its blueprint was launched on 27 March.

It was also lauded as something to “cut red tape and allow higher education institutions from different countries to cooperate seamlessly across borders and set up joint programmes”.

At the council meeting, representatives from several EU member states, including Denmark, Spain, Portugal and Italy, said the degree would be useful to fill the gap in adult learning. It would help students acquire essential skills and would achieve more transnational cooperation and more standardisation of study courses.

France noted: “European university alliances are an important initiative. We need to move to the next stage [the degree] and establish ‘preconditions’ to enable recognition of this qualification across Europe, by adopting the Council’s quality assurance text” designed to ensure they [degrees] are awarded for quality work.

Slovakia said the degree would be “promising if implemented wisely”. It said a European degree must not lead to a ‘two-tiered system’ and regional disparities in accessibility should be addressed.

Estonia too said the qualification risked “creating an uneven playing field” in higher education output, with countries including Croatia and Greece saying joint degrees needed more funding.

Sweden was “not convinced the degree was the answer”, as it would entail a “major reshaping of common joint actions" by higher education institutions.

Finland agreed the degree “might bring added value, but it might not,” warning: “It would be a huge step to add something new to existing measures and structures and these should be looked at first.”

Too soon to assess effectiveness

Indeed, European University experts told University World News it was too soon to assess the proposed degree's effectiveness: “We need to still wait and see to what extent the European degree will boost the competitiveness of European higher education,” said Maria Kelo, director, institutional development, at the Brussels and Geneva-based European University Association (EUA).

“Our current assumption is that it will take some time before (and if) the European Degree becomes well known and highly regarded internationally,” she continued.

“We are a little concerned that the degree (according to the proposed criteria) would need to cover such a range of different expectations that it may be difficult to put together meaningfully.

“As for joint programmes in general, the European Degree may not be for everyone, and institutions will need to strategically assess how and which types of degrees – including the European degree – will fit into their specific offer, needs, context and community.

“Strategically thinking about the benefits, target groups, coverage and partners will be very important,” she told University World News.

Ruben Puylaert, spokesperson for the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL – Universiteiten van Nederland), the association representing the Netherlands’ 14 research universities, added: “We are following the European Degree with interest. It is too early now to say whether, and if so which, universities would take part.”

Puylaert also underlined the view of universities and EU education ministers that, degree or no degree, “it is indispensable to invest in education and research. The same thing comes out of so many reports: invest radically in education, research and innovation”.

As seen in recent strikes in the Netherlands and Belgium, lack of funding is a real issue. “There is definitely not enough finance available to support research and innovation in general," Puylaert said.

“The total budget cut imposed by the new [Dutch] government on higher education and research is approximately €1 billion (US$1.053 billion) euros on a structural basis.

“In addition, they reduced the innovation budget, specifically the National Growth Fund, by €6.8 billion in total. This contradicts all leading reports, both in the Netherlands and in Europe (the Draghi report), Letta report, and the high-level expert group Horizon ['Align, Act, Accelerate'] report."

Speakers at the council stressed that the funding gap, not a skills gap, is the main issue facing EU higher education.

Recognition of staff

Meanwhile, university experts welcomed EU ministers' adoption of a recommendation (policy paper) on ensuring attractive and sustainable careers in higher education and their approval of conclusions (a policy position) on “strategic partnerships in education and training” at the 25 November meeting, while highlighting the importance of sufficient financing.

On the recommendation, the EUA's Kelo highlighted the call for “parity of esteem between the different missions of higher education”, saying, “it was also important to recognise engagement of academics in international initiatives ... often not sufficiently acknowledged, supported and rewarded”.

Puylaert noted “good things” in the paper, “for instance, more focus on the recognition of teaching", which “aligns well with the Dutch recognitions and rewards programme”, which aims to “enable more diversity in career paths and profiles for academics”.

Kurt Deketelaere, secretary general of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) told University World News that the recommendation was “a nice text” but it contained “only one new element – the aim to ‘encourage better recognition of the energy and time that academic staff and other professional services staff devote to transnational cooperative activities,” for example, the European Universities alliances.

“This is, of course, a correct point,” he said.

“Much or all of this work is done by administrative and academic staff on top of the normal workload, meaning that efforts that can be made are limited and, as a consequence, the success of alliances, joint degrees, etcetera, is limited.

“To make it a real success, there is a need for full-time staff (academic and administrative) who can make this their core activity and devote all their time to it ... [which is] presently not possible due to a lack of financial means in many universities.

“So, what I do not read in this recommendation is how the European Commission (EC) will make the necessary financial means available for the people that universities need to make the EU higher education agenda successful,” he told University World News. “A lemon simply cannot be squeezed dry forever.”